Playing with Fire : A Feather Head Extension
by Syzdoth
Summary: The untold stories and battles of Priya Cinaed.
1. Bugged: The Azalea Town Gym Battle

_Q&A_

_Is this Feather Head?_

_- Kinda. This is the Gym Battles and maybe (not yet decided) the Contests Battles of Priya Cinaed. They follow Feather Head but I didn't put them in the main story as to not drag it out. Still, I really like imagining up battles so I will be writing them all and putting them here._

_What is Feather Head?_

_- For first time readers of my work, Feather Head is my main story featuring Tobius Wright's Pokémon journey with his troublesome Murkrow. .net/s/5670448/1/Feather_Head_

_So then who is Priya?_

_- Priya is a Fire-type trainer from the Orange Islands out to collect both badges and contest ribbons. She's the second-to-main human character of Feather Head. Her starter was the Vulpix, Atria. _

_This chapter is from before Priya met Tobius. She'd spent most of her time as a trainer just training and exploring. She'd finally found a Pokémon to add to her team; Deimos the Houndour. The only other Pokémon she has are Atria the Vulpix and Ferno the Arcanine (this is also pre-egg or contest ribbon). Enjoy :)_

* * *

Priya stood at her side of the field. This was the first Gym she'd ever been in and she couldn't help but feel minuscule. The battle field was filled with tall grass and thick trees around the border. The perfect home for Bug-types. She wished the battle wasn't being film but it was either on-screen and money winnings plus TM, or off-screen and you just get the TM. Airing battles was how Gyms made their money. Well, television time and seats. Priya looked down to see her Vulpix eying the people who watched from the spectator stands around the field.

"Don't mind them, Atria," Priya said to her Vulpix. "This is just another battle. Just us."

"Vul!" Atria barked at her trainer. She looked a little relieved as she returned her gaze to their opponent.

"You sure you want to do this? I mean, there's a reason most trainers take me on second," Bugsy taunted.

"I'm sure," Priya called. She was a Fire-type trainer after all. It made more sense for her to start here. Besides, Bugsy couldn't be that much older then she was. How hard could this be? The crowd cheered and Atria became distracted once more.

"This official Gym battle between Bugsy the Azalea Gym Leader and Priya Cinaed, the challenger from Pyre Island, is about to begin. The Hive Badge is at stake. This will be a three-on-three match," the referee called from the sidelines. "The challenger may substitute her Pokémon but the Gym Leader may not. On my command both sides will release their first Pokémon simultaneously and the battle will commence immediately. And," the referee raised his hand while both Priya and Bugsy raised their Pokéballs, "GO!"

"I choose you, Spinarak!" Bugsy called as out popped his Spinarak.

"Blaze up, Deimos!" Priya called as she released her Houndour.

"Dourrrrrrr," Deimos growled.

There was a pause while both trainers waited for the other to make the first command. Priya decided to go first.

"Okay Deimos, Ember!" Deimos responded immediately with his small flames.

"To the trees with String Shot!" Bugsy ordered. With surprisingly quick reflexes the Spinarak shot sticky strings from its mouth which hit the closest tree. It quickly pulled itself towards the branch and out of Ember's path.

"Ember, again!" Priya shouted. The Spinarak had not stopped as it shot another string from its spinneret to another branch and continued to move around the field as such.

"Dour," Deimos barked. Ember after Ember missed and Deimos was getting increasingly irritated.

"Hold off, Deimos. Lets wait for that thing to come to you," Priya ordered. The annoyed but still obedient Deimos closed his jaw with an audible clamp and gave a throaty growl.

"Looks like they're wising up, Spin. Poison Sting!"

"Spin, arak," the still swinging Bug-type launched a Poison Sting attack.

"Dodge!" Priya called. Her Houndour leapt out of the way.

"Slow 'em down with String Shot, Spinarak."

"Spinarak!" It swung towards Deimos and released a String Shot. Deimos sidestepped the first but the Bug-type launch two more that covered a good amount of space. Deimos' paws became covered in sticky String Shot goo.

"Drr!" Priya's Houndour growled in irritation. It tried to keep an eye on its opponent while attempting to remove the mess.

"Poison Sting again, Spinarak!"

"Spinarak!" the Bug-type squeaked as it again swung towards Deimos and let loose its attack.

"Ember at those needles!" Priya called while mentally hoping that her idea would work.

"Dour!" Deimos barked with his Ember attack. Not only did the Poison Sting get cancelled by the Ember but some of Deimos' flames struck the little Bug Pokémon.

"Spin," Bugsy's Pokémon cried as it retreated back to a tree.

"Full powered Ember!" Priya ordered when shes aw that the Bug had lost it's dodging speed.

With a devilish smile Deimos took in a deep breath and released his Ember attack with flames a little bigger in size. With a weak cry of pain the Spinarak fell to the grass. Priya sort of heard the referee call the win but her mind was a sea of 'I can't believe we're winning our first ever Gym battle!'

"Awesome job, Deimos!" Priya called with a small jump of excitement.

'Vul, vulpix," Atria called, imitating her trainer's jump.

"Hound!" Deimos barked. He looked very pleased with himself and let out a winners howl.

"Now don't get ahead of yourselves," Bugsy called. "Go, Scyther!"

"Scyther!" cried the tall Bug-type.

Crap, Priya thought to herself.

"Scyther, use Quick Attack!"

"Dodge, Deimos!" But her Houndour was too slow. Moving almost too fast to see, the Scyther hit twice before Priya called, "Ember!"

"Double Team and Agility!" Bugsy called. "Just try an peg my Scyther now."

"Scyther, Scy," Scyther called as it seemed to split into three clones which each sped around the field. Deimos growled nervously.

"Scyther will have to come to you Deimos. When it attacks grab it with Bite!" Priya ordered. Deimos crouched into a ready stance.

"Wing Attack!" Bugsy called. His Scyther clones came at Deimos from three different angles at once.

Priya had been sure that would work but, not that she could see with her human eyes, Deimos had both aimed to Bite a clone and entirely missed. With a high pitched yelp Priya's Houndour flew to the side and rolled through the tall grass. The Scyther clones continued to circle the battle field. Still, Deimos was stubborn and refused to accept defeat against a Bug so he pushed himself back up. Priya knew she shouldn't have made that previous move. She had acted stupidly and now Deimos looked like he'd collapse at any minute. Better late then never.

"Prepare Counter!" She called. Deimos nearly tripped but steadied himself and started to glow with Fighting-type energy.

"U-Turn, Scyther!" Bugsy ordered as he held up two Pokéballs.

"Scyther!" The attack hit. Deimos, too weak to use Counter, flew into the air before hitting the ground hard. The Scyther glowed red and returned to its Pokéball as another Pokémon came out. Priya barely noticed who the new combatant was or that there was a no switching loophole. All she could process was how beat up her knocked out Houndour looked.

"I'm so sorry Deimos. Return."

"And that's why bugs are the best," Bugsy said with a laugh. That was enough to snap Priya out of her train of thought. Like a flip of the switch her sadness turned to red hot anger directed at the Gym Leader. This was _his_ doing. _He_ would pay. Unknown to Priya the same red hot anger burned within her growling Vulpix as well.

"Show that thing who's boss Atria."

"Vul!" The Vulpix jumped high into the air. She somersaulted and landed gracefully with her head held high and her tails spread out and waiving just slightly. The crowd roared at the Contest-like entrance though none could see exactly how the Vulpix had landed as the tall grass, which had only been up to the Houndour's neck, concealed her.

"To the trees, Metapod!" Bugsy called. With a leap and a String Shot the Metapod pulled itself to a tree branch. It now had a clear view of where Atria was.

"Wait for it Atria," Priya said. Her Vulpix growled in acknowledgment.

"Iron Defence, Metapod"

"Pod."

"Wait for it..."

"Vullllll..."

"Now show 'em what an iron hard Tackle feels like!"

"Meta, pod!" The rock hard Metapod launched itself at its opponent.

"Side Iron Tail!"

"Vul!" Atria jumped and spun sideways as her tails glowed with Steel-type energy. With a loud clang iron hard Tackle met Iron Tail.

"What!" Bugsy cried as his Pokémon went spinning out of control. The Metapod hadn't taken that much damage but injury hadn't been the point.

"Flamethrower!" Priya ordered. The Metapod was still rolling along the battle field as Atria hopped back into the air and released her blast of fire. The Vulpix put everything she had into the attack which left a wide circle of cinders. At the center of the blackened area lay the sizzling Metapod.

The referee called it as Atria howled for joy and Priya did a little happy dance. Just one more to go.

"Your turn again Scyther, go!"

"Scy!" the Bug hissed as it returned to the battle. Unfortunately its height gave it an advantage in this field. Still, Vulpix didn't have those big ears for nothing.

"Lets win this quick, Flamethrower!" Priya called.

"I don't think so. Agility and Double Team!"

"Scy," the Bug called as it easily maneuvered around the flames before splitting into three once more. Once again three Scyther clones circled the battle field at blinding speeds.

"Fury Cutter!"

"Flamethrower!"

Flamethrower after Flamethrower missed as Scyther attacked then retreated then attacked and retreated. At first the cuts seemed it be ineffectual, but each attack was more powerful then the last.

"Iron Tail as a shield!" Priya ordered. With another loud clang the Fury Cutter met the steel tails that were being used defensively. The change was enough to momentarily throw the Scyther off.

"Quick Attack!"

"Vul!" Atria barked as her attack hit at close range.

"Flamethrower!" Unfortunately the slower flames were easily dodged by the Bug-type.

"Slash!"

"Vul..." Atria cried as she went sailing through the air. The attack had come at lightning fast speeds and impossible to avoid. The Vulpix then tried to stand up on wobbly legs before crashing to the ground.

"Return, Atria," Priya said as she returned her Vulpix to its Pokéball. She quietly added, "Thanks so much. You really did well."

"You might as well give up now. Not even your Fire-types stand up to my Scyther," Bugsy called.

"Scyther," the circling Bug clones agreed.

Priya smiled. "Blaze up, Ferno!"

"Arrrr!" The ferocious looking Arcanine growled as it landed on the field and snarled furiously at the circling Scythers. Even Priya could tell the Intimidation had worked as the Scyther's movements faltered a bit. The field's tall grass didn't bother this huge beast one bit.

"Slash, Scyther."

"Scy!"

"To the side and Odor Sleuth, Ferno!"

"Arrr." Ferno tried to move out of Slash's way but the attack still made contact. Luckily it wasn't a direct hit. The Arcanine took a deep breath in and Priya could tell he'd sniff out his target by the sharpness that appeared in Ferno's eyes.

"Slash again!"

"Scy!" the clones chorused as they turned around to attack again.

"Step and Aerial Ace!"

The large Arcanine had movements like a feline and managed to entirely dodge the Slash. Ferno seemed to fly over the field and hit the real Scyther, causing it to lose its balance.

"Fire Fang!" Priya commanded.

"Double Team!" Bugsy ordered. The Scyther split itself again but Ferno knew his target. Flame-cloaked fangs caught the Scyther around the waist. It went rigid with pain before going limp. Ferno uttered a dark growl before it flung the Pokémon at its trainer.

The Arcanine bounded back to his trainer as Bugsy gasped and the referee made the final call. Priya buried her face in Ferno's warm mane and scratched her Pokémon joyously. The crowd's cheering might as well have been white noise.

"So how 'bout a victory howl?" Priya asked, looking into one large Arcanine eye. Ferno gave her a giant, slobbery lick before leaping back to the center of the field. There, he reared up to his hind legs and let loose an echoing howl that reverberated throughout the stadium. In that moment he was as mighty as an legendary, and he made sure everyone knew it.


	2. Paths Crossed: The Azalea Town Contest

"_Now presenting, Priya Cinead!"_

Cheers echoed throughout the stadium. Priya took a deep breath and reminded herself to keep a clear head. Sure, she'd lost her first Contest, but so did almost everyone. Things would be different this time. Her team had been practising for weeks. This was their time to shine.

She jogged threw the long hallway, passing the previous performer, and was near blinded by the lights. She silently hoped the cheering wouldn't through off her Pokemon's sensitive ears. First step; the performance round.

"Okay, Ferno, Blaze up!" she called as she threw a Pokéball with a Ball Capsule into the air. Out materialized Ferno the Arcanine, surrounded by flames.

As the Arcanine sailed through the air he stretched out his body and let loose an echoing howl that filled the stadium. The crowd loved it. Priya nearly cried for joy as he landed perfectly and gracefully on the ground and gave a second howl.

"Okayl now get moving!"

Ferno leapt forwards and ran circles around the stadium. He didn't know Agility or Extreme Speed, but his long legs allowed him to gain a lot of speed.

"Flame Wheel!"

"Arrruuu!" Ferno cried as he set his fur aflame. This wasn't a regular Flame Wheel, ether. He continued to run but his head stayed clear of flames. He looked like an Arcanine rocket.

"Rock Climb!"

Ferno jumped on the surrounding wall and dug his Rock Climb claws in. Priya smiled broadly at the success. It had taken much practice to master the wall running at top speeds. Ferno circled twice more before he launched himself into the air and did three back flips.

"And your big finale!" Priya yelled.

The height of Ferno's jump brought him to the center of the stage. There, he created a Dragon Pulse orb which he made as large as possible. Instead of releasing the energy in a direction he used Thunder Fang and chomped down on the attack. The crowd applauded and cheered as the Arcanine gracefully fell threw the shimmering Electric and Dragon-type energy that rained down along side him. He gave one last short howl and took a bow.

The crowd screamed and the judges commented approvingly. Priya barely heard any of it though; she was dazed by success. Ferno bounded to her side and bent down so she could climb on. She smoothly pulled herself up to her Arcanine's neck and he trotted out of the spot lights.

Halfway down the hall Priya jumped off, leaned against her Arcanine and laughed.

"Arrruu?" Ferno asked, confused by his trainer's actions.

"Oh, its perfectly fine, Ferno. It's great, actually!" Priya said and started laughing again. "You did amazingly, now return." The confused Arcanine tilted his head one last time before he was sucked into his Pokéball.

Priya jogged the rest of the way down the hall and came out in a change/prep room. She'd been the third performer so there were still a lot of people to go. She walked over to a bench and sat down.

"Atria, come out," Priya said as she released her Vulpix.

"Vul," she greeted happily. Atria hopped on to the bench to receive a stroke from her trainer.

"You ready for this?"

"Vul, vulpix!" the little fox replied and smiled. It didn't matter that it was a one way conversation, the meanings were still understood.

"You best be ready to deliver, runt," a harsh voice said.

Priya and Atria looked up. They couldn't see the source directly but in a mirror they saw where it came from. On the other side of the lockers there stood two people and a Pokémon. The boy had spoken; he was a muscular teen probably 18 or 19 years of age with a lot of stubble and ragged clothes. Beside him stood a girl, probably a year or two younger, that Priya recognized as the Coordinator that had presented right before herself.

"Oh, Markus, maybe you shouldn't be so hard-"

"Nah, babe, this is how you treat 'em to get the best results. Just gotta show 'em who's boss is all," the boy, Markus, said. Priya stifled a gasp as he kicked his Pokémon. "I promise you'll win with this guy. Had him a good number of weeks now. He's a weakling by my standards but he should win you this Contest nice and quick."

"Markus, I can just use one of mine, you know," the girl said. "I don't _need_ to borrow-"

"No, no take 'em for your battles," Markus said. "No babe of mine will lose..."

Priya stopped listening and focused on what she could see of the little Pokémon. His fur had been groomed to perfection but there was still something broken looking about him. Priya, a Fire-type fanatic, easily recognized it as a Cyndaquil. Its back was releasing heat but it didn't flare up. It looked like it was forcing itself not to. It bared little teeth as if it was growling silently to itself. Priya nearly gasped again as the Cyndaquil turned its head to reveal a long scar over its left eye. It had to be a couple weeks old but it must have not been treated properly when initially received. Markus asked it something else which he emphasized with a lighter kick. The Cyndaquil snorted and flared up.

"See," Markus said. "Babe, you're good and taken care of."

"Oh, Markus," the girl cooed. She babbled more but Priya forced her focus back to Atria before she threw up from the nauseous scene.

"That poor thing," Priya said to her Vulpix. I hope we don't have to take it on in battle. Looks like it has a rotten enough life without us having to beat it."

"Vul," Atria replied. Priya scratched her Vulpix behind the ear. She wouldn't say it out loud, but that Cyndaquil looked rather burly. She wondered if Atria would have the power to take its hits and beat it.

"_Oh dear.."_ the hostess on the the live stage feed was saying. Priya looked up in time to see a Wartortle preforming a Hydro Pump that was spinning out of control.

"Poor trainer.." Priya said quietly. Atria wasn't paying attention, her focus was back to the depressed looking Cyndaquil.

"_Now presenting our last coordinator, Jackson!" _

A teenaged boy dressed in a blue suit walked out on stage. Priya watched as his Poliwrath's Ice Ball and Dynamic Punch made an explosion that sounded throughout the whole stadium. He finished with a Bulk Up that had the crowd cheering for more. Priya knew he would be her real challenge as well.

"_And now our panel of distinguished judges shall review the performances and decide who will advance to the next round!_"

"Vul," Atria squeaked as she was caught by surprise as Priya pulled her into a hug. The Vulpix licked her nervous trainer's face.

"_And here we have the eight coordinators continuing on to the Contest Battle round!_" Eight faces appeared on the screen.

"Yes, we made it!" Priya said.

"Vul, pix!" Atria said with a small jump of joy. A number of glum looking coordinators slumped away.

"Oh look, Marcus, I'm in!" said the annoying female voice.

"I knew you could do it, babe." Marcus said and threw an arm over the girl's shoulder. "Now my runt of a Cyndaquil will take you all the way."

Priya gave them a side glance. She took anther look at the screen; yup, the trainer with the Poliwrath had made it too. She crossed her fingers that she wouldn't meet him until the last round.

"_And here are the match ups!" the hostess announced. _

Priya was the second face on the board. Jackson was the fifth. The annoying girl with Markus was the the eighth. Priya sighed and sat down, relieved she and Atria would have time to warm up before she faced either the Cyndaquil or whatever Pokémon Jackson used in the final round.

"You ready for this, Atria?"

"Vul, pix!"

"Alright then, lets go."

"_Here's the moment you've all been waiting for; the second round Contest battle! The first coordinator to strip away the most points in 5 minutes wins._ _And here are our first competing pair,"_ the hostess announced._ "It's Priya Cinead against Donovan Keily. And begin!_"

"Blaze up, Atria!" Priya said as she threw Atria's Pokéball.

"Alright, Edna, Stage Center!" the other coordinator, Donovan, said as he threw a Pokéball.

"Vulllllpix," Atria cried as she came out of her Pokéball spinning among stars and landed perfectly on the stage.

"Veeee," the opponent Eevee called as it landed then did a back flip. Unfortunately it stumbled as it did so which caused Donovan to lose a point.

Priya concentrated her focus. She forced herself to tune out the hostess, judges, and the crowd. It was just her and Atria against this Eevee and Jackson.

"Don't worry about it, Edna," Donovan called. "Quick Attack!"

"Eevee!" the little Pokémon called as it sped in Atria's direction.

"Up and Imprison, Atria."

"Pix."

Atria tried to leap away from the attack but wasn't fast enough. The attack took her by surprise so she rolled back a few feet before she stopped herself.

"Iron Tail, Edna!" The Eevee went after Atria and its tail began to glow with Steel-type energy.

"Vullll," Atria seemed to sing as its eyes glowed.

"Vee?" the Eevee said in confusion. It's tail had stopped glowing.

"What?" Donovan said. "How about Dig?"

The Eevee dug its paws into the ground but the attack wouldn't work.

"Quick Attack?" Donovan asked, clearly unnerved.

The Eevee tried to run as fast as it could at Atria, but the Quick Attack speed wasn't there. Priya and Atria smiled slyly.

"Atria," Priya called. "Flamethrower!"

"Vul!" Atria yelled as she unleashed a stream of flames.

"Dodge and Tackle," Donavan called. Unfortunately his Eevee couldn't get out of the way in time and was consumed by the Flamethrower.

"Quick Attack," Priya ordered.

Just like they practiced Atria ran into the flames, disappearing for a moment, then out came both Pokémon; Atria having struck her opponent directly. The judges complemented Atria's glowing fur that was thanks to the flames but Priya barely noticed.

"Iron Tail!" Priya called.

Atria, still gaining height from the Quick Attack, did two graceful back flips with glowing tails. She then brought the tails down hard on the Eevee, causing it to smash into the ground. It didn't get back up.

"_And the winners are Priya and her Vulpix! What a show, mixing beauty with power..."_

The hostess continued as Atria ran to Priya's side and both took a bow together. The judges offered a few compliments and they were dismissed. Once off stage Priya allowed her to body to relax. She then picked Atria up and swung her around twice. She ignored the eyes of the passing coordinators.

"One down, two to go!" Priya said as she entered the change room area. Atria was given a Potion by a stage hand and then the two went over to sit on a bench. Priya inwardly cursed at herself for missing the match as she should have been watching to see what her next opponent's strategy was. All she caught was the very end of the battle; a Pikachu had knocked out a Pidgeotto. So as to not inconvenience preparing coordinators the TV was muted. Meanwhile, Jackson and another boy were heading to the contest stage. Both looked confident and Priya made sure she and Atria watched and studied the fight.

Unlike the first two battles this one lasted the full 5 minutes. Both coordinators were exceptional. It was a Yanma against Jackson's Haunter. Priya shuddered slightly; it had been a Ghastly who had beaten her in the first matchup at her first Contest.

"We won't lose again," Priya whispered to herself. Atria smiled up at her trainer, relieved to see her confidence had returned.

As the time ran out Jackson and Haunter were named the victors. The next battle was the annoying girl with Markus' Cyndaquil against a Sunflora. The battle was the shortest yet; Sunflora didn't even get a chance to use the ordered Cut before an intense Flare Blitz threw the Sunflora into its trainer. The Grass Pokémon was still moving, though Priya couldn't understand how, but the judges deemed it a knock out.

Lost in thought about either of her potential last opponents, Atria had to give Priya a light bite to bring her back to reality. Startled, Priya jumped up and bolted threw the hallway to the stage and only barely remembered to return Atria to her Pokéball.

"_... Priya Cinead versus Suzy Tano in this semi-final round. May the best coordinator win. And, begin!" _the hostess announced.

"Blaze up, Atria!" Priya's Vulpix emerged once again. This time she did a few mid-air summersaults before landing and striking a pose.

"You're up, Pikachu," Suzy said as she threw her Pokéball. The appearing Pikachu's cheeks sparked as it also did a couple mid-air summersaults. It, to the great applause of the crowd, landed perfectly on its tail.

"Double team," Suzy ordered.

"Safeguard," Priya called at the same time.

The Pikachu split into three clones as Atria's body glowed light green.

"Again!" Suzy yelled.

"Imprison!" Priya called.

Now, ten Pikachu clones had Atria surrounded. The Vulpix's eyed glowed blue. Her fur wasn't glowing anymore but there was still a leftover shimmer from the Safeguard's continuing effect. Priya's eyes flicked over the score board; she and Suzy had lost a few points but at least Priya was in the lead slightly. The glowing eyes and shimmering fur really made Atria gleam beautifully.

"Circle it!" Suzy ordered.

The Pikachu clones ran circles around Atria.

"Let it come to you," Priya told her Vulpix. Atria relaxed a little and sat as she patiently waited for the Pikachu to do something.

"Alright, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" All the Pikachu clones let loose a Thunderbolt. Only one of the attacks was real but the clones were so realistic Priya couldn't tell which. The ten Thunderbolts arced above Atria before coming down together; creating a beautiful spinning electric dome.

"Dig!" Priya called. Atria was fast so she was able to get out of harm's way just in time.

The Pikachu clones continued to run in circles as they waited for the Vulpix to emerge. With a high pitched bark, Atria leapt from the ground and took out two Pikachu clones, though she missed the real one.

"Hidden Power," Priya ordered.

Still in air the Vulpix spun like a foxy ballerina as glowing orbs appeared. The hostess drew attention to the bright glow of the orbs that complimented the shimmer from Safeguard. With a bark the orbs shot off in all directions. Most of the Pikachu clones vanished and one was thrown, visibly hit; the real Pikachu.

"To your left, Energy Ball!"

Atria summoned the Grass-type energy in a beautiful orb and launched it at the Pikachu. The electric mouse failed to get out of the way in time so it was send sliding further along. Priya's eyes flicked to the score board, about half the time was up. She was in the lead.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Pika, chu!" the Pikachu screamed as it let loose a massive electric attack. Priya was shocked by the amount of power the little creature could store.

"Dig!" Priya called. This time Atria wasn't fast enough. Priya all but choked as she had to watch her Vulpix be devoured by electricity. The shear power of the hit and Atria's slow revival made for a large number of points lost.

"We have to finish this, Flamethrower!"

The Vulpix barked and used a Flamethrower that was dodged.

"Thunderbolt."

Pikachu used another super powered Thunderbolt.

"Dodge it, Atria!"

"Vul," the Vulpix said as it gracefully leapt into the air.

"And Flamethrower!" Priya ordered.

The Flamethrower was more powerful and hit its mark. The Pikachu shrieked in pain and fell to the ground. It looked like it was Burned.

"Finish it with Quick Attack!"

"Get out of there Pikachu!"

The Pikachu didn't have the strength to get out of the attack's way. Atria's hit was critical and the Pikachu could not continue.

"_Looks like Pikachu doesn't have the strength to continue. Priya and her Vulpix shall advance to the finals!" _thehostess announced.

"Hey," Priya called as she caught up to the retreating coordinator. Suzy, a little red eyed, stopped and turned to her. "You're really good. You and your Pikachu are amazing."

Suzy smiled and nodded but didn't say anything. Coming down the hallway was the annoying girl and Jackson. Priya called for Atria to follow and ran to the change room, she was not going to miss another match.

Atria was given a more powerful Potion and then Pokémon and trainer ran over to the screen. It was Haunter versus Cyndaquil, neither one looked even slightly intimidated by the other.

The battle began with Cyndaquil charging at the Haunter with Flare Blitz. Without breaking a sweat the Ghost slid out of the attack's way. It followed the dodge with Spite. Cyndaquil's next attack was Flame Wheel but, before it hit, Cyndaquil was beaten up by Sucker Punch. Still, the little Fire Pokémon knew how to take a hit and it charged on with Flame Wheel which hit its mark.

Haunter launched Night Shade which collided with a Swift from Cyndaquil. The Normal-type move didn't affect the Ghost but it made for an appealing display. The Haunter tried Hypnosis but the move didn't penetrate a second Flare Blitz. So, the annoying girl was trying to overpower the troublesome Haunter. Jackson's Haunter took serious damage from the attack but was still able to launch a Lick that caught and kept the Cyndaquil in mid-air. However, the little creature had another trick up its sleeve.

Priya didn't recognize the attack the Cyndaquil used, but she guessed it had to be a Psychic-type move. Whatever it was hit the Haunter directly, having taken it by complete surprise, and knocked the Ghost-type out.

"Pix..." Atria mused. Priya wasn't feeling all that confident anymore. They were up next.

As she walked down the hall Priya nodded curtly to Jackson. He gave her a broad smile and a thumbs up before continuing.

"You ready, Atria? We're not going to let an annoying brat like that beat us, will we?"

"Vul, vulpix!" Atria barked back.

There was a short break during which the Cyndaquil was healed. Priya waited on her side of the arena and tried to settle her nerves. It will be fine, she told herself, its just me and Atria all the way.

"_And here we have the final match of the day. Priya Sinead will face Ania Petal for the Azalea Contest Ribbon! Now, lets have this battle get underway. If both coordinators are ready, then begin!"_

"Blaze up, Atria!"

"You're on, Cyndaquil!"

"Vulpix!"

"Cyndaquil!"

Priya could tell the Cyndaquil was new to contests. While Atria spun gracefully to the ground the Cyndaquil simply landed and flared up. This had cost Ania points every time but her Cyndaquil had managed to overpower every opposing Pokémon so far.

"But not anymore," Priya whispered to herself. "Safeguard!"

"Vullll," Atria sang as she was engulfed in the green shimmering light.

"Flare Blitz, Cyndaquil!" Ania ordered.

"Cyndaaaaa," the Fire-type bellowed as its body was cloaked in thick scalding flames before it charged at the glowing Vulpix.

"Atria, anchor yourself and take the attack!" Priya called. The glowing Vulpix stabilized herself, ready to take the attack head on.

Ania looked confused for a moment and seemed to debate whether or not to call the attack off, unsure of what Priya had planned. Priya smiled, Ania should have done her homework.

The Cyndaquil hit Atria head on. The little thing was strong so it was all Atria could do not to go flying. Then Flash Fire activated. Atria's fur and eyes glowed bright red and she literally absorbed the mass of flames.

"Show em your powered up Flamethrower, Atria," Priya called.

As Atria absorbed the last of the flames she took a step back and released and eruption of flames. The usually red and orange flames were almost white hot as they overwhelmed the close range Cyndaquil. Even it's Fire-typing didn't help as much as usual, the attack was just too powerful.

"Imprison."

Atria leapt a few feet back, her fur and eyes still glowed bright red with a faint shimmer from the Safeguard. Her eyes glowed blue a she sang out a long high pitched note once again. Priya knew her Pokémon was visually appealing enough but she wanted to give the Cyndaquil a chance to get up. It's fur was badly singed, but it flared up and looked more then a little pissed. Things weren't over yet.

"Extrasensory!" Ania ordered.

"Confuse Ray!" Priya called at the same time.

The invisible attack collided with the Ghost move.

"Swift!" said Ania.

"Downwards Iron Tail shield," Priya called.

The Cyndaquil launched unavoidable stars at Atria as the Vulpix leapt into the air. The stars followed her as if they had homing seekers but the Vulpix was prepared. Her tails glowed with Steel-type energy which she used as a shield as she fell towards the Cyndaquil. It jumped out of the way but Atria landed on the ground and jumped at the opposing Fire-type, striking a clean hit with Iron Tail.

Priya smiled as the hostess complimented her well trained Pokémon.

"Extrasensory!" Ania ordered again.

"Dark Pulse," Priya said, hoping Extrasensory was a Psychic-type attack.

Both attacks hit once again but the Dark-type energy overpowered the inferior Psychic-type energy. This caught the Cyndaquil off guard, causing it to take the attack head on. Just a minute and a half to go. Ania was looking visibly ruffled.

"No fire or psychics... Oh, Quick Attack!"

The Cyndaquil charged Atria but, with Imprison in play, it couldn't use Quick Attack. The hostess said the same thing and Ania lost more points. She was almost out.

"Finish this with Quick Attack!" Priya called.

Atria lunged at the Cyndaquil at an almost invisible speed. Priya was sure that was the end until the Cyndaquil grabbed Atria's colliding head and used her momentum to toss her a great distance.

"What?" Priya couldn't help but say. She hadn't been prepared for the Cyndaquil to take matters into its own hands. Still, this Contest was as good as over. "Atria, Flamethrower!"

Atria launched her white hot flames once more. Just like before they hit their mark and a _bing_ sounded to say that Priya and Atria had won as Ania's points ran out.

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Priya just stared at the score board that was displaying her image beside WINNER! It was Atria's body hurdling into Priya's stomach that caused her to come back to reality.

"YES!" Priya cried as she threw Ferno's Pokéball int the air. Arcanine appeared and Vulpix jumped up to his head and shared the good news. Ferno smiled, briefly nuzzled Priya, then gave out a great loud howl.

Priya's glee was short lived, however. She watched as Ania's retreating form was met by Markus. The sobbing girl thrusted the Pokéball into the boy's hands and then ran off. Priya couldn't see him clearly, but she was sure Markus looked pissed. That poor Cyndaquil, she'd have to try and help it out.

"_There you have it, folks. The winner on the Azalea Town Contest ribbon is Pyre Island's Priya Cinead."_

The crowd cheered more. Priya decided to enjoy the spotlight for the moment. Then moment she was free she'd see who she could contact. Surely there had to be some organization to help out with abused Pokémon. She climbed up Ferno's back and waved at the crowd.

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_Author's Note_

_Yah, never writing such a long contest again. Gets tedious after a while. Was fun though. I'll need to get some Deimos and Spyne focus in the next chapter. _


	3. Assistance

"To victory!" Priya cheered.

"Vulpix!"

"Arc arc!"

"Dour!"

"Psh, show offs," Jackson retorted.

"Raichu, rai," his Pokémon agreed.

Priya had bought some high quality and apparently delicious Pokémon food that her team was now devouring with gusto. They currently found themselves about a day and a half's walk from Azalea Town. However that time was greatly shortened when on the back of an Arcanine.

Hanging around on the rock face above the Union Cave entrance, Priya had run into Jackson and his team. The two reminisced about the jerk of a boy and the bratty girl for a while before the topic turned to their Pokémon. Jackson had the Haunter and Poliwrath from the Contest along with a Skarmory and a Raichu. The two had spent hours talking and they were now watching the last rays sunlight disappear over the horizon.

Priya had found a comfort like she'd never before known when she was with Jackson. His personality seemed to have a warmth about it. Something in her stomach seemed to wriggle when he sat beside her.

"So where are you headed next?" he'd asked as he leaned over to rest his head atop her own.

"Fuchsia City in Kanto," Priya replied. The position was a little awkward to hold so she squirmed over so her body half rested on her companion. She saw Atria give a silent chuckle before winking and running off to chase the Raichu.

"Kanto? But you're already in the Johto Gym race and Contests."

"Yeah, but my aunt said there's a guy I've gotta meet there. Apparently he'll give me my early 16th birthday present."

"What is it?"

"Dunno. But I figured I can check out the Safari Zone while I'm there," Priya said. She nearly tripped over her words as Jackson put his arm around her.

"You know what? I heard they had some Numel shipped there. They're Fire/Ground-types that might beef up your team."

"Awesome!" Priya exclaimed sincerely. "What about you? More Contests in your near future?"

"Yeah, but right now I'm heading to Violet City University to help my brother with his research."

"Cool, what does he do?"

"Technology research, he's working to improve Pokéballs," Jackson said. There was a pause as they watched the changing sky and the playing or sparing Pokémon.

"Wait," Jackson said. "If you're heading to the Kanto region, why are you out this way. You're not planning to go around Mount Silver, are you? There's some seriously strong Pokémon and trainers out that way."

"No, we just came here to watch the sunset. I heard it was beautiful, and it is," Priya replied.

Atria was chasing Jackson's Raichu who was occasionally sending jolts of electricity at the Vulpix. Atria gave a cry of mock irritation before she abruptly stopped moving. Her ears twitched as she listened to something.

"Rai?" the larger electric Pokémon asked as he came over to the Vulpix. He twitched his ears and both turned in the same direction.

"Hey, where are you two going?" Priya asked as the Pokémon ran off and peered around a rock. Deimos and Jackson's Haunter also joined them. Atria's tails flicked in irritation and her ears went down in anger.

Priya stood up to see what everyone was looking at. With a gasp of surprise she saw a familiar person and a group of Pokémon; Markus.

"Useless git," Markus scowled as he kicked the Pokémon at his feet.

With a cry that sounded more like anger then pain, the Cyndaquil skidded to a stop. It blazed up as it rose but extinguished itself when the surrounding four Pokémon growled. The Cyndaquil was surrounded by Markus, a Machoke, a Muk, a Tentacruel and an Onix. Priya didn't have to scan them with her Pokédex to see they were all at much higher levels then her own team.

"Show 'em what strength really looks like Onix," Markus commanded.

The giant creature roared and went to slam its head into the Cyndaquil. With speed that managed to surprise Priya the small Fire-type easily leapt out of the way.

"Prove yourself useful and use Crush Claw ya squirt," Markus demanded.

"Quil," the Cyndaquil screamed but obeyed. Its back flame ignited and its front paws glowed white with Normal-type energy for a moment before they returned to normal. The Cyndaquil looked down at its paws with a confused expression, which was unfortunate because it missed the oncoming rock tail that threw him into a pile of rocks.

"Get up ya wimp!" Markus screamed as he pulled out a whip and struck the fallen Pokémon along its back.

The Cyndaquil shrieked in pain. It immediately darted upwards and jumped off the higher up rocks, aiming itself at the Onix's skull. Once again its paws glowed with Normal-type energy. However, once again the energy was lost.

The Onix struck the Cyndaquil head on in the air which threw left the smaller Pokémon back to hit the rocks hard. The large Pokémon slithered up to the fallen Cyndaquil, leaned over, and laughed at it in a deep, hollow voice. This clearly infuriated the Fire-type as it rose, blazed up, and launched a near white-hot Flamethrower at the Rock-type.

The attack hit the beast's mid-section and it reared a little. The Onix clearly felt the attack but the flames hadn't done that much damage. The Cyndaquil seemed to realize this as it stopped its assault.

Now the Onix was pissed. It's eyes seemed to darken in fury as went to strike the Cyndaquil with its head once more. This time the Cyndaquil countered by using its nearly invisible Extrasensory attack. Just as the Onix's mouth was a foot away from the Cyndaquil's head the Psychic attack hit and launched the Onix off the ground with its force.

Unfortunately it got back up. Markus was laughing.

"Tenta!"

"Maaa!"

"Muuuuuuuk!"

The Cyndaquil was now backed against the wall and surrounded by the other three Pokémon with the infuriated Onix approaching.

"So whatchur gonna do now, runt?" Markus mocked.

Then with a blur of red motion the Machoke was hit sharply in the head, causing it to fall into the Muk. The two Pokémon grappled as they tried to get away from the one other. Both the Cyndaquil and the Tentacruel looked in confusion at the scene until the Water-type also got struck in the head.

"Vullll!" Atria cried at the opposing creatures as she came to a stop beside the Cyndaquil. It looked at her for a moment before turning back to the other, now enraged, four Pokémon. Once Deimos realized Atria was in harm's way he ran over and joined the two. His hackles raised as he uttered a dark growl.

"What the?" Markus stammered. "Where the hel-"

"You are a terrible individual!" Priya said, emerging from her hiding spot. Jackson looked at her for a brief moment in contemplation before he joined her side.

"Oh yeah?" Markus said. "And who are-" he started before he recognized Priya and Jackson. He seemed to go red in the face and bit his tongue before he yelled, "Get them! Get all of them!"

At their trainer's command the four large Pokémon ran at Priya and Jackson. The four rampaged at the teens but Atria, with her Quick Attack, beat them to it. She stopped right in front of Priya and, less the half a second after, the Cyndaquil did the same. Jackson's Raichu was there also and two Flamethrowers and a Thunderbolt hit the oncoming aggressors.

Flames and electricity became one blast that encompassed and stopped the Pokémon. Markus screamed in anger but couldn't do anything. As the attacks stopped only the Muk and the now blackened Onix were still standing.

"Why you! Return," Markus recalled his fainted Machoke and Tentacruel. "And you too," he said as he pulled out another Pokéball and aimed it at the Cyndaquil.

"Dour!" Deimos barked as he launched a Shadow Ball at the held out hand.

"Ouch!" Markus screamed in pain as the Pokéball went flying into the air.

"Aruuu," Ferno barked. He had appeared as if out of thin air and bit the Pokéball with his Fire Fang attack.

The capsule shattered.

"What? You can't do that That there rut's mine," Markus yelled. He was immediately silenced by a demonic growl from Ferno.

"Oooooo," the Onix roared as it put itself between the Arcanine and its trainer. The Muk tried to smack Deimos but missed.

"I'd suggest you leave," Jackson said cooly. His Raichu's cheeks sparked as his other Pokémon appeared. His Poliwrath went to stand beside Ferno and his Skarmory landed in front of the Muk.

Markus didn't need to be told twice.

"Yeah, well you'd better hope our paths don't cross ever again," he called as he hopped on his Onix and returned his Muk. With a crack of the whip the Onix turned tail and loudly slithered away.

Ferno and Deimos didn't stop growling until they were out of sight. Priya slumped at little, she'd never thought she could fake such bravery.

"Vul, pix. Vulpix vul," Atria started saying to the Cyndaquil.

"Quil," the Cyndaquil replied abruptly as it turned its head.

"Vul, vul pix," Atria continued.

That went on for sometime thereafter. Priya and Jackson had enough time to set up camp as the Pokémon continued to talk. Deimos and Ferno would also occasionally have something to contribute as well.

"What do you suppose they're saying?" Priya asked.

"I reckon their talking about that Cyndaquil's options now that it's free," Jackson replied. "He's a powerful little thing."

"Yeah, what I wouldn't give to have an addition like that on my team," Priya said.

"You suppose he'll join you?"

"Doubt it. How could he ever trust another human again?"

The pair looked at the stars as the Pokémon continued to talk. Jackson's Skarmory and Raichu both curled up beside their trainer.

"I'm gonna accompany you to Goldenrod," Jackson said.

"What?" Priya said, surprised. "Why? It's way out of your way."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I didn't-"

"You don't have to-"

"I want to."

"Oh, well then. I suppose that's fine then," Priya said. To hide her reddening face she leaned against Jackson's shoulder.

Both sighed in contentment.

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Author's Note

I didn't feel I really needed more then that.

Thanks Stonekipsta for reading and reviewing these :)

Next up, Violet City Gym.


	4. Aerial: The Violet City Gym

Once again Priya stepped up to her side of the battlefield. However, this gym was entirely different from the first. Priya had entered a large building and proceeded to the roof. It was there that she found the battle area. There were available stands but no cheering crowd; apparently the Gym Leader, Falkner, preferred to keep his matches just a TV spectacle. As the busiest Leader in Johto he had the right to make that call.

Tobius was still at the Pokémon Center. After a long night of training he had over slept. Priya chose to let him sleep, he'd need it. Off to the side sat Ferno with the bright eyed Artemis between his giant paws. Priya had decided to go with her Pokémon that hadn't had a chance to really shine in a Gym Battle yet.

"So, this is your second badge?" Falkner asked from his side of the battle field. "Interesting choice. Though, I can guarantee you I won't be taken out easily. My Flying-types control the skies!"

"I'm not all that worried," Priya replied simply.

"This will be an official Gym battle between the Violet City Gym Leader, Falkner, and the challenger from Pyre Island, Priya," the referee called. "Both will use three Pokémon each, only the challenger will be permitted to substitute her Pokémon. When I say so, both sides will release their first Pokémon and the battle will begin. And GO!"

"Blaze up, Atria!" Priya called as she threw her Vulpix's Pokéball to the field. With a burst of white light the spinning Atria appeared. As always she made a perfect landing on the field.

"You're up, Pidgey!" Falkner called. From his own Pokéball came a Pidgey. The bird screamed out its battle cry as it flapped higher into the air.

"Don't let it get away, Flamethrower!" Priya ordered.

"Vul," the Vulpix called as it released a stream of bright flames from its mouth.

"Dodge," Falkner commanded. With a swift flap the Pidgey easily climbed out of the Flamethrower's reach. "Alright, now show us your speed. Quick Attack!"

"Imprison!" Priya called. She knew it wouldn't be fast enough.

The Pidgey did a back flip before it dived at Atria with brilliant speed. Atria's eyes glowed blue as the attack hit. Atria flew backwards but jumped back to her feet and sang out a long, high pitched note.

"Gey," the Pidgey said with a shiver as the move took effect.

"Flamethrower, before it gains too much height again!" Priya called. Once again the flames shot at the Pidgey.

"Agility!" Falkner ordered.

"Pii," the avian Pokémon called as it easily sped out of the attack's way.

"Curses," Priya said under her breath. "Alright, catch up with Quick Attack!"

Atria did just that and was able to finally get a blow in. Unfortunately, while the Pidgey did feel it, the attack wasn't enough to ground the bird.

"Flamethrower!"

"Gust!"

Atria blasted her strongest Flamethrower yet. Unfortunately the Gust overpowered it. The Pidgey beat the air powerfully to create winds that were strong enough to capture and throw back all the flames. Atria tried to crouch low to the ground but the winds mixed with flames picked her up and sent her flying.

Luckily the combo also worked in Atria's favour. The winds did damage but there was enough fire in them to trigger the Vulpix's Flash Fire. As Atria hit the ground her body and eyes glowed bright red and the air around her visibly heated up.

"Alright, that's what I like to see. Fire Spin!" Priya shouted as she punched the air.

"Agility!" Falkner ordered.

The Pidgey closed its eyes in concentration for a moment before it zoomed out of the attack's way. Priya gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Now, the Mud Slap – dodge combo!" Falkner said with a smug look on his face.

"Pii," the bird cooed before it all but disappeared with its accumulated speed.

Atria visibly tensed before she was struck in the side by the attack. Before she had time to react the Pidgey flew above her and clear out of her reach. It immediately came down again, this time right in her face, and used the same attack before flying upwards.

"Flamethrower!" Priya cried.

Atria's flames were nearly white hot with the Flash Fire's power behind them but the Vulpix missed by several feet. The Pidgey's movement were to quick and erratic for her mud clouded eyes. Her misdirected attack also offered an opening for the Pidgey to land a third Mud Slap.

"You can't hit my Pidgey now," Falkner taunted. "You might as well give up."

A fourth and fifth Mud Slap hit.

"Then we'll just have to rely on Faint Attack," Priya said with a slight smile.

Atria had to concentrate, she wasn't the most successful with Faint Attack. Her eyes closed and her ears twitched. The Pidgey appeared right beside her just as her body blackened and disappeared. The Pidgey's expression was almost comical as its target vanished before its eyes. Atria reappeared above the bird and slammed it to the ground; trapping it with her body.

"Flamethrower, blast it!" Priya ordered.

The Pidgey tried to crawl away, its limbs still moving at unnatural speed, but Atria knew how to trap her prey. She gave a sly smile before torching the bird. The flames consumed both creatures but didn't affect the Vulpix. Priya knew it was over when the oddly high pitched screaming stopped. When the flames went out and Atria jumped back the fainted and blackened Pidgey was completely still.

Priya wondered if her Vulpix had gone a little to far. She was about to scold her Pokémon when she got distracted by how unsteady Atria was looking. The Vulpix was taking deep breaths and struggling to get the dirt out of her eyes. Priya could tell those Mud Slaps had done significant damage by the sluggish way Atria was carrying her ears and tails.

"Arrruuuuu!" Ferno howled from the stands. Artemis seemed to be doing some sort of wobbly dance.

"Time for you to take the air. Go, Nightwing!" Falkner called as he tossed a Pokéball.

From the white light came the form of a Noctowl. It flapped the air once and Priya was startled by how silently it flew. She also was intimidated by its size; it could easily carry Atria off in its claws. As it glided its full attention focused on Atria. Its head even turned at awkward angles to watch the smaller Pokémon.

"One Take Down should do it, Wing," Falkner said as he flicked his bangs.

With a hoot the bird tilted its body and beat its wings once to launch itself. It was much slower then the Pidgey, but seemed like a tank in comparison.

"Return, Atria!" Priya called as she lifted her Vulpix's Pokéball. The familiar red beam shot out of the capsule and withdrew Atria just in time. The Noctowl easily caught itself and climbed back into the air.

"A wise choice," Falkner complimented with a nod.

Priya bit her inner cheek. This Noctowl was no pushover. Thunder Fang would have been particularly helpful here.

"Oh well," Priya sighed. "Alright. Deimos, blaze up!"

From the thrown Pokéball materialized the Houndour. It growled deeply up at the Noctowl whose attention was focused once more.

"Ember!"

"Air Slash!"

Deimos' attack didn't stand a chance. The Houndour launched its small balls of fire at the same time as the Noctowl hurled its ball of spiralling wind currents. As both attacks met the flames were absorbed and extinguished by the Flying-type move. The attack was a direct hit and Deimos yelped in pain as he hit the ground.

"No, Deimos," Priya cried, her voice shaking as if she felt her Pokémon's pain. "Get up! You've gotta get moving!"

"Take Down!" Falkner ordered.

The Noctowl again dove at its opponent.

"Counter!" Priya said. This was what she'd been waiting for.

"Abort!" Falkner said shortly.

Deimos glowed with Fighting-type energy as the Noctowl descended. Then, at the last possible moment, the bird adjusted its wings and simply flew passed the hound. Deimos growled in frustration as Priya stared, completely silenced. Never had she seen a Pokémon so easily stop its attack once it started. It was all the harder when coming from above and going as fast as possible.

"Mud Slap!"

"Move it!" Priya called.

Luckily Deimos was great at dodging and jumped clear out of the attack's way.

"Leer," Priya called.

"Uproar Nightwing," Falkner commanded.

Priya saw the Noctowl quiver a bit as Leer took effect but that didn't hinder its attack in the slightest. It started screaming as loud as it possibly could. Priya had to clap her hands over her ears as she winced. She saw the faint Normal-type induced sound waves hitting Deimos, who was grinding his teeth and backing up. Canine Pokémon usually had particularly sensitive ears. On the other side of the field Falkner had pulled out ear muffs and was smiling.

"Bite!" Priya screamed at the top of her lungs but Deimos either couldn't hear or was too troubled by the Noctowl's attack. Not wanting to take her hands down Priya started dancing on the spot, trying to get her Houndour's attention.

Out of the corner of her eye Priya saw Ferno gritting his own teeth and trying to stay still. Confused, Priya allowed herself a second of distraction to look over at the large Pokémon. Where was Artemis? She figured her little Torchic must be under Ferno's paws. Priya smiled sadly, by protecting the youngster Ferno was sacrificing his own ears.

Finally Deimos looked back at his trainer. Both his ears and tail were down and he looked more pathetic then he'd ever been. Not bothering with trying to shout, Priya opened her mouth as wide as possible and made a very theatrical biting motion.

Deimos' expression seemed to plead for a moment before he obeyed. Priya figured he didn't want to get any closer to the sound's source. Again a blast of the attack hit him but he still charged at the Noctowl with teeth blackened with Dark-type energy. The Noctowl was to focused on its attack to get out of the way and Deimos clamped his fangs around the bird's neck.

Finally, silence.

Both fell to the ground but, with a few beats of its large wings, the taller Noctowl was able to get out of Deimos' grasp.

"Ember!"

"Mud Slap!"

As the large bird hopped away from the Houndour it used its wing to hurl the Ground-type attack at its opponent. Deimos' attack was smothered and the dirt again went right into his eyes. As he pawed at his face the Noctowl flapped upwards.

"Smog!" Priya ordered.

Priya couldn't tell how the slightly blinded dog could see but the smoke hit the Noctowl directly. The bird stubbled in the air and coughed.

"Use your ears to find it and Ember!" Priya said. Thing were working out.

"Air Slash!"

With eyes now closed Deimos' ears shot forward and he spit his flames at the bird. The Noctowl couldn't respond in time and the Ember made a direct hit. The creature was loosing altitude.

"Almost there, another Ember!"

"Not quite. Roost!"

The Noctowl finally caught itself and flapped out of the attack's way. It sailed clear over the Houndour, just gliding on its wings. Deimos strained its ears to hear anything but the Noctowl was a silent flyer. The Houndour had to force his grime filled eyes open.

As Deimos scanned his surroundings the Noctowl landed on the ground and its body started to glow. Previously singed feathers regained their colour and it seemed to stand up straighter.

"Quickly, behind you! Bite!" Priya yelled, all her efforts for nothing.

"Take Down," Falkner said flatly.

Deimos turned on his heels and ran at the bird, his mouth wide open. The Noctowl also ran at Deimos, though it moved much slower on the ground. Just as the two were a few feet apart, the Noctowl flapped its wings and threw its body at its opponent. The unexpected movement caught Deimos off guard, or maybe he'd have missed anyways. Either way, the Bite missed and the Take Down caught its target right in the shoulder. Noctowl fell upon Houndour, only the Flying-type got up again.

"Return, Deimos," Priya said sadly as the red light absorbed her fallen fighter. Atria was too weak to fight. So it was Spyne against two, and Priya had no idea what was last. Sure he was strong but...

"Blaze up, Spyne," Priya said flatly as she threw the Pokéball.

"Vul!" came the confused cry of Atria.

Atria? What? The Vulpix tilter her head at her trainer. Priya had mixed up Pokéballs. That had never happened before.

"Vulllllll!" Atria suddenly cried out in pain.

The shriek brought Priya back to the battle. She hadn't heard the attack called, but Atria's body spasmed before she fell to the ground. Knocked out.

"But... what?" Priya gaped at her fallen Pokémon. "That was a cheep shot!" She yelled at the Gym Leader.

"Should have been paying more attention, kid," Falkner said with a shrug. "Never let yourself get distracted during a battle. That's just common sense."

"Return, Atria," Priya growled, still glaring daggers at Falkner.

"As a Gym Leader it's my job to teach. Now you know to watch for silly mistakes," Falkner said smugly as he flicked his bangs.

This guy was going down.

"Blaze up, Spyne!" Priya yelled.

This time the appropriate Pokémon emerged from the white light. The Cyndaquil snorted as it landed on the field.

"Tear this jerk's Pokémon limb from limb, Spyne," Priya hissed coldly.

Spyne looked at his trainer for a moment. He'd never seen her so furious. Spyne then nodded with a snort and ignited his back, absolutely electrified by this new vexed Priya. His paws briefly glowed with Normal-type energy but, once again, he wasn't able to hold on to it.

"One last squirt, Nightwing," Falkner said smugly. "Confusion."

"Extrasensory!" Priya said angrily. "Show that thing a real Psychic attack!"

Both Pokémon focused and launched their almost invisible attacks. Spyne cringed slightly but the Noctowl the visibly damaged.

"Hypnosis!" Falkner called. By his expression Priya could tell he no longer underestimated the Cyndaquil's power.

"Lava Plume!" Priya said.

"Quil," Spyne called as it blasted scarlet flames upwards that erupted outwards it all directions. Fire and smoke concealed the smaller Pokémon and made the Hypnosis useless. The attack consumed the Noctowl who was unable to fly away in time.

"Take Down," Falkner ordered as the flames and smoke started to clear.

"Hitch a ride," Priya said.

Falkner looked at Priya with a confused expression. The Pokémon were still hidden among the smoke. There was a hoot and a grunt before both Pokémon shot out of the fumes; Spyne riding Nightwing like it was a Ponyta.

Another trainer wouldn't have noticed but Priya saw Spyne trying to summon Normal-type energy in its paws. They glowed faintly but there was still no Crush Claw.

"Get that rat off your back, Nightwing!" Falkner ordered.

"Swift!" Priya ordered.

The Noctowl tried to buck the Cyndaquil off but Spyne had no intention of letting go. With a snort he shot star-shaped rays at the back of the Noctowl's head.

"Uproar!" Falkner ordered.

"Flare Blitz, quick!" Priya yelled. She didn't like asking Spyne to use an attack that did so much recoil damage, but this bird had to go down before it could recover again.

As the Noctowl opened its mouth Spyne screamed and encompassed itself in flames. No attack came from the bird's beak. Instead, it bellowed in pain as the flames swallowed it up as well. The flames continued to increase in size and grew blighter as they got hotter.

It was hard to make out the forms in the flames. The Noctowl tried to buck Spyne off one more time, but the Cyndaquil moved with the motion. Spyne jumped upwards, scorching flames still cloaked his body, and came down upon the bird. There was a cry of pain from the Noctowl as both crashed into the ground. Flames spread outwardly like a mystical blazing flower with so much heat that Priya could feel it on her face.

"Nightwing!" Falkner called.

As the flames cleared a triumphant Spyne stood atop the unconscious Noctowl's head. The small Fire Pokémon looked at Falkner, snorted with a puff of black smoke, then stomped over to stand by Priya.

"Great job," Prya complimented. As usual, Spyne didn't respond but just watched for his next opponent..

"Alright then, looks like things are all tied up, huh?" Falkner said and he flipped his hair. "Go, Witherwing!"

"Fearow!"

From the Pokéball's white light came the rather frightening brown bird Pokémon. This bird was the largest yet; even the average Fearow could easily support a person.

Priya smiled to herself as the Fearow brought back memories of the Safari Zone.

"You ready?" Priya asked.

Spyne stomped the ground and ignited his back flames again.

"Don't let that thing's size fool you, Witherwing. Agility!"

"Lava Plume!"

The Fearow took off with its gigantic wings. It concentrated for a moment then flapped again, gaining a surprising amount of speed for its size. The scarlet and smoke explosion took up most of the field but the bird was able to get high enough to avoid the attack.

"Faster," Falkner insisted. "Agility, again!"

"Fearowwww," Witherwing cried out as it concentrated and gained speed once more.

"You have to be patient, Spyne. It's moving too fast," Priya called to the very agitated Cyndaquil. "Use Defence Curl."

Spyne glared at Priya. He despised defensive moves, which was why he'd let himself forget Leer and Smokescreen. He also looked down upon weaker moves, Priya could barely keep him practising Quick Attack, Flame Wheel, and Swift. Still, Spyne complied. He rolled himself into a ball and faintly glowed.

"Alright then, Swift!" Priya said.

"More speed," Falkner pushed.

The Fearow's speed increased again; it might as well have been a Pidgeot at this point. The grounded Spyne shot its ray of Normal-type stars. This had been why Priya had pushed him to keep the move, the stars were like little heat seekers. They moved with the Fearow and picked up enough speed to strike it. Unfortunately, they didn't faze it much.

"Assurance, and trap it," Falkner said with a flip of his bangs. His smug look was back.

Neither Priya nor Spyne had time to react. Suddenly the Fearow was on top of the little Cyndaquil, forcing Spyne into the ground. Witherwing had him snared down perfectly; with a single foot it held the Cyndaquil so his back was to the ground and his head arched at an awkward angle so his mouth was aimed off to the side. Unless Spyne could roll to the side he couldn't ignite his back flame, meaning he couldn't use Fire attacks.

"Extrasensory," Priya called.

"Fury Attack, don't let him concentrate," Falkner ordered.

The Fearow started jabbing its prey repeatedly with its beak. Spyne squealed in frustration; Psychic-type moves required a lot of concentration to use, all the more when the user wasn't a Psychic-type them self.

"Swift then," Priya commanded desperately.

Spyne opened his mouth and shot the ray of stars which redirected themselves and targeted the Fearow, but Witherwing barely noticed. The Fearow simply used one of its wings as a shield and otherwise ignored the attack.

"Keep it up, Witherwing."

"Spyne, you've gotta either get out of there or use Extrasensory, which will it be?" Priya asked, sounding stronger then she felt.

Spyne flailed his short limbs briefly before he went still. He let the beak peck away at him as he tried to concentrate. Then, with a cry of anger, he managed an Extrasensory.

The attack was almost completely invisible but Priya could tell it was both weaker then usual and not a direct hit. Witherwing flinched a little but was still able to maintain his hold on Spyne. Still, for time the bird look considerably flustered.

"Mirror Move," Falkner said with a grin.

Witherwing closed its eyes in concentration then opened them, eyes glowing with Flying-type energy. Spyne cried out in pain as his mimicked attack struck him, however he took to directly. Priya's Cyndaquil stopped moving.

"Fury Attack," Falkner said flatly.

Once again the Fearow continued to beat on the trapped Cyndaquil.

"Spyne, please, you have to use Crush Claw," Priya said, choking a little with desperation. She couldn't stand watching her Pokémon be helpless and beaten.

Spyne flexed his paws which glowed faintly before they returned to normal. The Fearow stopped its attack when it saw this. It paused for a moment, then both it and trainer started laughing in unison.

"Fearow, fear. Fear fearow!" the large bird cawed.

"You're little squirt can't even use all its attacks?" Falkner laughed. "Pathetic."

Priya flushed with embarrassment but forced herself to ignore the pair. Spyne's lack on movement meant he'd accepted what he thought inevitable.

"Are you really going to take that?" Priya asked. "You're supposed to be the strongest member of our team. You should even be able to take out Ferno, who's like a hundred times your size!"

There was an indignant snort from the stands.

"If this is the best you've got, then fine. Let yourself me knocked out by that buzzard," Priya continued in her hard tone of voice. "But, if you are the Cyndaquil that I know you are, you will use Crush Claw."

Spyne remained motionless for a moment more. Then, he lifted his small paws and forced then to glow white. The attack failed once again.

"Do it!" Priya shouted.

"Quilllll," Spyne cried as he tried to summon the power again. It lasted a couple seconds longer but still went out.

"Fury Attack, put that thing out of its misery," Falkner ordered.

Witherwing stopped laughing and started repeatedly jabbing Spyne again.

"You are better then this," Priya shouted. "Crush Claw, NOW!"

"Quillllll!" Spyne cried out as he continued to get beaten upon.

Then something unexpected happened. Instead of his paws glowing his body started shaking. No, not shaking, more like vibrating. Like a tremor throughout his whole form. Witherwing stopped his attack in surprise.

Then Spyne's paws started to glow, along with his whole body. The Fearow stood its ground and kept hold but the form that was replacing the Cyndaquil was much longer and larger.

"What?" both Priya and Falkner said in unison, though in totally different tones.

"Quilava!" the newly shaped Spyne roared as the glow faded away. It was still trapped under the claw, but not like before.

"Fear?" Witherwing cawed before it dove its beak back at its prey.

But it wasn't fast enough. The Fearow had aimed the attack for the ribcage but Spyne caught the beak between his paws. His glowing paws and claws.

"Y-you did it," was all Priya could utter.

Sure enough, Spyne's new paws glowed with Normal-type energy. Crush claw nails about 2 inches long had also appeared. They held the beak firmly in place. The Fearow tried to push its beak, but was unable to get it any closer to the newly evolved Pokémon. It then tried to pull away but Spyne wasn't letting it go anywhere.

"Barbecue that bird," Priya said, unable to hold back a smirk of her own.

Spyne made his own smirk as he ignited his no longer smothered flames. With another roar he blasted the Fearow, right in the chest.

Witherwing cried out and had to remove itself from the Fire-type. It still had its speed increase so it was able to get back in the air, but it wasn't looking so lively anymore.

"Roost," Falkner ordered.

"Quick Attack!" Priya called. This bird couldn't be allowed to land and recover.

The Fearow sped as far away from the Quilava as it could get and landed, but Spyne was there to meet it. It hit the Fearow at a blinding speed with enough force to prevent its landing.

"Flamethrower!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Spyne sent another blast of flames at the bird but it seemed to as good as disappear with a flick of its wings. Then, moving so fast Priya could barely see it, Witherwing struck Spyne from behind.

"Lava Plume!"

"Keep it up!"

The Fearow struck Spyne again but the Quilava was still able to create his fire-smoke explosion. Unfortunately the Fearow was able to fly out of the way once more.

"Bloody flyers," Priya cursed.

Unable to see the Fearow beyond his attack, Spyne retreated closer to Priya. Priya could tell by his awkward movements that he wasn't yet used to his new body shape.

"You okay?" Priya asked.

"Quil," Spyne barked as he turned his head to make eye contact and nod.

"Wow," Priya said. His eyes were... beautiful.

Priya had never seen anything like it. She knew all about Quilava, even as a child she'd hoped she would one day have a Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion. Before she started her journey she thoroughly researched all the Fire-types native to the Orange Islands, Kanto, and Johto. After Spyne joined her team she did as much online research as she could as well. As such, she knew a lot about the species. In every example their eyes were brown or red, even amber on rare occasions. But there Spyne stood, with beautiful azure blue eyes that briefly acknowledged Priya before they returned to scanning the air.

"Take it out, Aerial Ace!"

"How about another Crush Claw?" Priya asked with a conversational tone.

Spyne smiled as his paws glowed white and grew the claws. But this time he did something else new, too. With a battle cry his flames doubled in size and his little claws grew to a length about two thirds of his body. Something else Priya didn't think possible.

Then Spyne jumped into the slowly clearing smoke, having seen that which Priya had missed. Speeding at the Fire-type was Witherwing. Time seemed to slow as the Pokémon collided. Crush Claw met Aerial Ace and both Pokémon dove into the ground. The force was enough to send up a small cloud of dirt and sand, concealing both fighters. Only their silhouettes were visible.

"Witherwing, get up!" Falkner shouted.

"You okay, Spyne?" Priya called at the same time.

The Pokémon pile was motionless for a moment. Then, the large feathered form started getting up.

"Yes!" cried Falkner.

"No!" said Priya.

The movements were awkward for a Fearow, even a severely injured one. Then the dirt cloud cleared enough to see through.

"Quilllll," Spyne cried out as pushed the knock out bird off himself. He stumbled and returned to standing on all fours, but at least he was standing.

Everything was absolutely still for a moment.

"Falkner's last Pokémon, Fearow is knocked out," the referee shouted. "And the winner is-"

The rest of what he said was unheard over the howling and shouting of Artemis and Ferno. With a chick in mouth, Ferno bounded over and nuzzled Priya while barking at her with intangible Pokémon speak. Artemis hopped onto Priya's shoulder, then head, then other shoulder, then head, and continued as such while still shouting as loud as it could.

Falkner came up to her and tried to say something, but the celebrating Pokémon wouldn't let him speak. He shrugged and motioned fro Priya to follow him. She held up her hand and mouthed 'one second' before she ran over to Spyne. The Quilava was now on his hind legs and silently observing the empty field. He was never one for hugs and celebrations.

As Priya leaned down beside Spyne, Artemis jumped off Priya's shoulder and started running circles, still screaming out happily. Priya smiled at her two cheerful Pokémon and patted Spyne on his back.

"You did awesome, Spyne," Priya said in a normal voice, though she figured he'd be unable to hear her.

"Quil," he barked in response, still staring at nothing.

"Oh, come here you little fire starter," Priya said as she pulled him into a tight hug. Something they'd never done before.

Spyne flinched at the sudden contact but, for the first time, he didn't try to push her away. He didn't return the physical affection, but didn't force it away either. He simply closed his eyes and let his trainer do as she wished.

Spyne couldn't hold back the faintest grin upon his face.

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_Author's Note_

About time. I feel like I haven't updated in forever. This felt good. Plus, now I can get back to Feather Head. Woot. Yay! Hope there's not too many errors, I only felt like skiming it once.

Thanks to Stonekipsta for the writing inspiration : ) You are the most awesome of the awesome!


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